Day 10! Working hard once again! This week will truly be the hardest one to complete my writing goals. Between my day job, being social with my friends (Necessary for one like me, who only talks to 7-year-olds during the day) and actually sleeping, it’s hard to carve out time to write. However, I foresee a greater chance of actually reaching my goals this weekend (Plus I’m trying to keep my buffer intact as much as possible. 20,000 words tonight here we come!) Today’s snipped is from Alexandros. I’m already to Chapter 6, and we’re revisiting what’s happening to our erstwhile Airship Captain.

$30 gets you a signed print edition of the novel, plus all three of my novels in digital form! That’s four books! I’m really looking forward to sharing this with you. Go on and check out the page with the brand new cover art! This is the concept I went with! I hope you enjoy it! Please share and pass the word to all your friends. This looks to be a great kickstarter event!

Like this:

Just a heads up for everyone – Iron Tribune is finished! Well, I’m finished with it. I’m making a few last tweaks, then sending it out to the beta readers over the weekend. Yippie! Then it’s right to work on Steel Praetorian. No stopping for novellas this time around!

I just wanted to share the news that Copper Centurion received a 4 1/2 star review (or 4 & 1/2 airships out of five review) over at GNostalgia, a fellow wordpress blog that focuses primarily on steampunk novels. I am so very thankful to him for taking the time to review the novel. You can check out the review here.

I also wanted to remind everyone that I don’t pay for reviews, but I will send out my books for reviews if I think I may have a chance of getting one. In my opinion, buying a review is not worth it. But I won’t beat a dead mechaniphant to death over the matter.

In other news, I just approved the final cover and formatting for Roma Aeronautica. I’m looking to release the novella late summer most likely, so be on the lookout. Here’s a look at the final cover art!

So I went to see the move John Carter yesterday. We shelled out the extra money to see it in IMAX, not because we really wanted to see it in IMAX, but because our local movie theater doesn’t like to show movies starting around 9 pm (It likes 8pm and 11 pm, but little in between) After being deafened and blinded in the previews, we were treated to a real spectacle of a movie. But I digress, this post isn’t a movie review, but rather how I saw a ton of amazing ideas that I COULD use in my novel, but will most likely choose not to.

The most challenging thing about a steampunk world is that you have to remain true to your specific subgenre. For example, Boneshaker (Sci Fi Essential Books) includes undead, guns, airships, etc. But it stays true to roots without using ray guys, rocketpacks, or technology that is beyond what the locals *could* realistically have designed.

When I saw John Carter, the thing that stood out to me the most was this…

Yes, one of the coolest designed airships I’ve ever seen. And I would have loved to somehow make mine (in Brass Legionnaire) as cool as those. But I won’t for a few reasons.

1.) Believability – My Romans are still running around using steam power. Those are definitely not running off steam power.

2.) I don’t want to copy someone else’s idea. Could I take a few pointers from how they look and add descriptions to my story? Sure, but I don’t want to just blatantly take an idea and throw it into my story because it’s cool. That’s a bit too crude for me. Ideas and a story have to match.

3.) It would take my story in an entirely different direction than where I want it to go. I want my books to show technological process and advancement book by book. I don’t want it to be a ‘oh, look, in the last two months we developed this awesome airship that doesn’t rely on hydrogen, helium, or steam power and it works perfectly. By the way, we armed it with these artillery pieces.’

I guess the point of this post is simply to make sure that your technology matches your story. I’m not saying you can’t – or shouldn’t! – be outlandish, but I’m one of those people who get’s thrown out of the story when the main character pulls out a weapon that doesn’t match the rest of the world or story and just pulverizes the enemy.

It’s like the green skinned aliens in John carter who run around with spears, swords, and projectile guns, but aren’t lugging around the alien equivalent of the RPG – they aren’t up to that yet. If your steampunk story has guns, then give them guns, but they shouldn’t have an M16 while everyone else has a muzzle-loading rifle. Technological progress doesn’t move in that way. If one country or place has it, soon enough everyone else will beg/borrow/steal/take by force that technology.

Hey all, so my story is roughly halfway done, got over 33 thousand words. I’m anticipating completion by the end of September, with a few months then for editing, revising, and cover art. Just for a few sneak peeks at the ideas inside the story.

Julius is just looking for adventure and a paycheck.

Constantine is looking to move out from under the thumb of his controlling father.

Corbus is one of the most dangerous assassins, and he happens to work for the wrong side.

When a series of unconnected events brings one of Imperial Rome’s grandest industrial cities to its knees, there is only one unit close enough to respond. Join the 13th of the XIII legion as they become the first aerial assault legion in Roman (and steampunk) history. Check out the first chapter in Daniel Ottalini’s new novel Brass Legionnaire today!

Julius Brutus Caesar used his wrench to tighten the bolt on the sprocket. When connected to the rest of the engine, the engineers could begin the final assembly of yet another mechaniphant. Not for the first time in his life did Julius wonder why on earth someone had the desire to invent such a mechanical monstrosity in the first place. Although, he did have to admit, it was impressive, standing over fifteen imperial feet tall, with a protected driver’s seat and razor sharp chain tusks. Perfect for crashing through the center of an enemy’s battle line, especially when combined with other mechaniphants. Julius shook his head to clear his wandering mind and returned to the situation at hand. Gas lanterns burned all around the factory. Steam pipes crossed haphazardly near the ceiling, matched by spindly gantry ways and support struts. The whole factory would have been a safety inspector’s nightmare. Of course, the inspector was bribed, so the whole situation was swept under the rug, so to speak. Far above Julius’ head, large windows were open to let in the sounds and smells of Brittenburg, otherwise known as Majoris Brittenburgia, factory city and capital of the Imperial Roman Province of Germania Inferior. Julius picked up his wrench, carefully cleaning it with a dirty rag pulled from his utility belt. Continue reading →